IRON MAN VS PREDATOR III: STEEL TIES
by alden.davis.980
Summary: Iron Man and War Machine are taking out the ultimate adversaries, the Predators. It's an urban battle that the two high-tech armored avengers, the Predators are hunting more drug dealers and gangbangers. It's the final chapter of the Iron Man vs. Predator series. Only the strong survive.


"IRON MAN VS. PREDATOR III: STEEL TIES"

Written by Alden R. Davis

Disclaimer: This is a comic-book, crossover, fan-made story of two Predators taking on Iron Man and War Machine. Dreadknight is only Iron Man super-villain to appeared in a Iron Man vs. Predator story, though Scarlet Witch makes a brief cameo. The characters of "Iron Man, War Machine and Dreadknight" is owned by Marvel Comics and Paramount Pictures and the characters of the "Predator" universe created by Jim and John Thomas and it's owned by 20th Century Fox and Dark Horse Comics.

New York City, suffering yet again from sweltering temperatures and increasing drug-gang warfare, finds itself with mysterious deaths. Now aided by his best friend, War Machine, Iron Man worries that this may be yet another series of manhunts by the brutal Predator aliens - yet refuses to disclose this to his partner nad best friend, which only serves to irk War Machine. Indeed, not one, but two creatures are prowling in New York: An elder creature who seems to tell stories of previous hunts to his younger partner.

New York's criminal population continues unaware of the visitors, until Dreadknight and a few of his associates are under attacked by the cloaked Predators. Though all of his nearby henchmen are killed, Dreadknight is left alive, as his lowered body temperature make him invisible to the Predators' infrared vision. Despite War Machine's questions about the bizarre attacks, Iron Man does reveal anything more than what War Machine has already overheard, though he agrees to let War Machine aid him until Dreadknight is found. Later, Iron Man confides to him to keep at distance to prevent his best friend from becoming Predator mark.

Iron Man attacks one of the aliens with a "stolen" helicopter with many technological advances (the craft actually belonged to Stark Technologies), inadvertently saving Scarlet Witch's life in the process (and convincing her to take a night off from her crime-fighting plans). Iron Man discovers the second Predator, too late prevent the copter from being destroyed, though he's able to eject. Meanwhile, War Machine learns many of the details during his computer research on the previous "hunts" through confidential government files, after taking advice from JARVIS, an artficial intelligence operating system. He also successfully tracks down Dreadknight and subdues him. When questioned, Dreadknight reveals the creatures did not seem to have even seen him.

With Dreadknight now in custody, Iron Man convinces War Machine to lie low, further aggravating his own best friend. Tony Stark manipulates StarkTech into closing down for 24 hours to provide a battleground that he can control, in an effort to defeat the beasts. He also modifies the powerful Red-and-Silver Centurion exosuit that he originally used in the Armor Wars series and in his first encounter to mask his body temperature, correctly assessing from Dreadknight's incident that the Predator's vision is thermal-based. The plan works, but only lures one of the two. Responding to Iron Man's confusion, and indicates that it is now tracking War Machine - who, ironically, is at a movie theater, watching old science-fiction monster flicks.

JARVIS contacts War Machine, who immediately accepts the truth when he sees the creature's silhouette and returns to the "Armory." JARVIS reveals what little they know of their assailants before they are attacked. The two are nearly caught, until Iron Man returns, carrying one of the elder Predator's ornaments and telling the younger hunter to cut his losses, take his defeated (and still living) father and return home. When questioned, Iron Man reveals that they were chosen as because the Predators saw them as they were: father and son warriors.


End file.
